Archive for the 'Jim Mora' Tag Under 'USC' Category

Sophomore Su’a Cravens made first-team All-Pac-12 as a defensive back. He played most of the season at outside linebacker. After some initial resistance, Cravens is fully committed to that position moving forward.

“I want to master my craft at this position if I’m going to be playing it,” Cravens said, recalling a recent conversation with linebackers coach Peter Sirmon. “He said, ‘Well, if you feel like you’ll be successful at that position, then we’ll do that.’ ”

Cravens has been wildly successful thus far. Playing primarily at OLB after a preseason knee injury to Jabari Ruffin, Cravens leads USC in tackles for losses (16). He’s tied for first in interceptions (2), ranks second in passes defensed (10) and is third in sacks (5).

“He was ridiculously productive,” USC coach Steve Sarkisian said. “We made the move, and his numbers just started shooting through the roof.

“It’s hard to move him away from the ball knowing (that) when he’s close to it he can make so many plays.”

The good: Good things happened when Cody Kessler threw the ball to JuJu Smith, who finished with four catches for 79 yards and drew a pass-interference penalty. … RB Justin Davis ran and caught the ball effectively, finishing with 62 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 13 touches.

The not-so-good: USC’s offensive line got manhandled by UCLA’s defensive line, rarely giving Kessler time to scan the defense and allowing a season-high six sacks. … USC gained only two first downs and netted only 17 yards on its first four possessions of the second half.

Here are my top five observations from USC’s 38-20 loss to UCLA on Saturday at the Rose Bowl:

1. Safety stance

It’s no secret that USC’s safeties have struggled at times this season, especially sophomore Leon McQuay III and freshman John Plattenburg. Senior Gerald Bowman has been the steadiest member of the group. Yet defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox – I presume it was him; the USC assistant coaches seem to vanish after games – decided he would play Bowman in a spy-type role against Brett Hundley, leaving McQuay and Plattenburg to patrol the deep middle. The results were disastrous. McQuay couldn’t tackle, which isn’t a new problem. Neither player could cover. Hundley picked on them time and again. I don’t get that strategy at all. If you’re going to spy Hundley, why not have Su’a Cravens do it? The return of Josh Shaw gave USC an opportunity to put its best 11 defenders on the field. The lineups Wilcox typically used didn’t feature the best 11.

2. Spread and shred

You want a good game plan? I submit UCLA’s offensive strategy. The Bruins kept sending the ball to the perimeter via Paul Perkins sweeps or bubble screens (which the Trojans didn’t defend nearly as well as everyone else seems to defend theirs). Those were the jabs. With USC’s defense spread from sideline to sideline, UCLA delivered knockout blows between the hashes. All three of Hundley’s touchdown passes were thrown down the middle. His touchdown run went right up the middle. USC actually did a good job of containing Hundley on the ground; he had just 2 net yards rushing. But the Trojans’ defense on the TD run was atrocious, with the normally reliable Cravens completely buying Hundley’s fake handoff to Perkins and running right past the quarterback.

A funny thing happened on the way to this week’s Pac-12 Power Rankings: We had a near-consensus. Despite voting independently – and having differing opinions on matters ranging from football to fashion – UCLA beat writer Ryan Kartje, Register colleges editor Todd Bailey and I turned in almost identical ballots. A case of great minds thinking alike? Or is the Pac-12 finally settling? It’s dangerous to assume the latter, especially this year in this sport. So let’s not draw any conclusions just yet.

1. OREGON (8-1, 5-1 PAC-12; PREVIOUS RANK: 1)

Well, maybe we can draw this particular conclusion. Oregon appears to be the class of the conference and is just one win away from representing the North Division in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Additionally, over the course of the Ducks’ five-game winning streak, Marcus Mariota seems to have re-emerged as the Heisman Trophy front-runner. It’s hard to play better than Mariota has: 26-2 TD-INT ratio, 68.1 percent completion rate, 10.2 yards per attempt, 187.2 efficiency rating and oh, by the way, 410 rushing yards and 7 rushing TDs.

2. ARIZONA STATE (7-1, 5-1; PREV. RANK: 2)

The Sun Devils are better than Kartje and Bailey thought. They’re better defensively than anyone thought after their tackling-is-optional performance against UCLA. They’re in the top 10 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings – with a chance to move up even higher with a victory over No. 10 Notre Dame. All this despite Taylor Kelly being just OK since returning from injury.

Here are the Register’s latest Pac-12 Power Rankings, courtesy of our committee of three: myself, UCLA beat reporter Ryan Kartje and our editor, Todd Bailey. With the release of the first College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday, we know what’s at stake for Oregon and the rest of the conference’s contenders. While our rankings were a group effort, the comments and opinions this week are mine.

1. OREGON (7-1, 4-1 PAC-12; PREVIOUS RANK: 1)

The first CFP rankings were a big victory for Oregon and the Pac-12. By landing at No. 5, the Ducks are in prime position to crack the Final Four. All they have to do, at least in theory, is win out. The toughest game might be the Pac-12 Championship against Arizona or Arizona State. (Sorry, Utah. It’s not going to be you.)

2. ARIZONA STATE (6-1, 4-1; PREV. RANK: 5)

It’s nice to see ASU finally getting some respect from my fellow voters. All it took, apparently, was back-to-back victories in which the Sun Devils allowed a total of 20 points. They had allowed 96 in the two games before that. Still not sure about that quarterback situation, though.

Welcome to the just-about-midseason version of Pac-12 Power Rankings. If it seems as if we just threw all the schools in a blender, well, that’s the kind of season it has been. As always, the Power Rankings are voted on by yours truly, UCLA beat reporter Ryan Kartje and our editor, Todd Bailey. The comments this week are mine.

1. OREGON (5-1, 2-1 PAC-12; PREVIOUS RANK: 2)

The Ducks are back where they belong. They are the clear class of this conference if their offensive line can stay in one piece. Also, in case you haven’t heard, Marcus Mariota is amazing. Just when you thought that dive over the pylon would be his signature moment, his self-scoop-and-score against UCLA tops it. Smooth, man. Smooth.

2. STANFORD (4-2, 2-1; PREV. RANK: 4)

Kartje and Bailey are more bullish on the Cardinal than I am, but I can see where they’re coming from. Stanford beat Washington at Washington and clubbed Washington State. The Cardinal defense remains stout. The offense remains hard to watch at times. We’ll find out a lot about Stanford – and Arizona State – Saturday night.

Big shakeup in the middle of this week’s Pac-12 Power Rankings. The voters are UCLA beat writer Ryan Kartje, college sports editor Todd Bailey and yours truly. The comments and opinions are mine.

1. OREGON (4-0, 1-0 PAC-12; PREVIOUS RANK: 1)

I’ve ragged on Oregon’s ever-changing uniforms a time or 20, and they bear some blame in spoiling whatever tradition was left in college football. But those black, silver and pink uniforms to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month are just magnificent (even though – or perhaps because – they don’t feature any green or yellow).

2. UCLA (4-0, 1-0; PREV. RANK: 2)

I should take this occasion to praise the Bruins’ superlative, back-on-the-map performance at Arizona State. But I’m still laughing over Jim Morahilariously toying with the media about Brett Hundley’s status. It’s so funny, the way Mora purposefully withheld information from the press, I can barely type this. What a cutup!

Two voters just weren’t enough for the Pac-12 Power Rankings. So this week colleague Ryan Kartje and I welcome our boss, Todd Bailey, to break some of those unseemly ties. Here’s how Week 3 turned out:

1. OREGON (2-0; PREVIOUS RANK: 1)

I said last week that we’d learn Oregon’s true identity against Michigan State. The game revealed that the Ducks are who we thought they were: legitimate national championship contenders.

2. USC (2-0; PREV. RANK: 4)

Speaking of national championship contenders … does USC belong in that conversation? I still think it’s premature. Depth will become a major issue for this team later in the season. And there are still landmines ahead (at Arizona, at UCLA).

Tomorrow will be a great day for college football fans in Los Angeles. USC and UCLA, both in their home colors, playing a significant game before a huge crowd at the Rose Bowl. Even the turf will be happy, since it won't be stabbed. The winner goes to the Pac-12 Conference championship game, and it doesn't get much better than that.

It's been a surprise season for UCLA, which is 8-2 after a six-victory season in 2011. First-year coach Jim Mora deserves a lot of credit, as does freshman quarterback Brett Hundley. USC, of course, has its own offensive weapons in Matt Barkley, Marqise Lee and Robert Woods. Will the game, as Lee predicted this week, be an offensive shootout? Quite possibly.

-- Kiffin expressed pleasure with the Trojans' improvement in penalty issues, said he didn't fault Robert Woods for the offensive pass-interference call.

-- Kiffin praised the game of running back Curtis McNeal, ``outside of the fumble,'' and said both left tackles -- Aundrey Walker and Max Tuerk -- played well. Kiffin called Walker's game ``the best he has ever played.''

-- Asked about the matchup between USC's pass offense and UCLA's pass defense, Kiffin said UCLA has had ``some very different games,'' essentially meaning that the Bruins have been strong in some games and weak in others. Kiffin also said that teams tend to play USC's offense different than they do other teams' offenses.